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{"actor":"system:backfill","investigation_id":"5fb8def0-1360-4045-8929-74850d3314ac","kind":"publish","page_slug":"nobitex","published_at":"2026-05-18T23:18:07.980Z","sequence_num":1,"snapshot":{"content_type":"investigation","entity_name":"Nobitex","sections":[{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[]}],"sources_used":[],"summary":"Nobitex is Iran's largest cryptocurrency exchange, founded in 2017, claiming over 11 million users and handling approximately 70% of Iran's on-chain crypto volume. A March 2025 Reuters investigation identified its founders as brothers Ali and Mohammad Kharrazi — members of a family with documented ties to Iran's Supreme Leaders and the founding of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps — who operated the exchange under an alternative surname. Blockchain analytics firms including Elliptic, Chainalysis, and TRM Labs have documented billions of dollars in flows through Nobitex connected to sanctioned Iranian state entities including the Central Bank of Iran and the IRGC, making the platform a critical node in Iran's sanctions evasion infrastructure.","timeline":[{"date":"2017-01-01","event":"Nobitex founded in Iran by brothers Ali and Mohammad Kharrazi, operating under the alternative surname Aghamir.","source":"","source_url":"https://cointelegraph.com/news/irans-largest-crypto-exchange-founded-by-sons-of-family-tied-to-supreme-leaders-reuters"},{"date":"2023-01-01","event":"Nobitex begins period of documented flows exceeding $2.3 billion on Tron and BNB Chain for sanctioned Iranian state entities including the Central Bank of Iran and IRGC, according to Chainalysis and Reuters.","source":"","source_url":"https://coinalertnews.com/news/2026/05/18/iran-irgc-nobitex-tron-bnb"},{"date":"2025-03-25","event":"Reuters publishes investigation linking Nobitex's founders to the Kharrazi political dynasty, with documented connections to Iran's Supreme Leaders and IRGC founding, and identifying hundreds of millions of dollars in state-linked flows through the exchange.","source":"","source_url":"https://cointelegraph.com/news/irans-largest-crypto-exchange-founded-by-sons-of-family-tied-to-supreme-leaders-reuters"},{"date":"2025-06-18","event":"Pro-Israel hacking group Gonjeshke Darande (Predatory Sparrow) exploits Nobitex hot wallets, draining over $90 million in cryptocurrency across multiple chains. ZachXBT identifies suspicious outflows of $48.65 million on Tron, later revised to $81 million. Stolen funds are burned at invalid wallet addresses.","source":"","source_url":"https://www.chainalysis.com/blog/nobitex-iranian-exchange-exploit-june-2025/"},{"date":"2025-07-02","event":"Tether executes its largest Iran-linked USDT freeze to date, blacklisting 42 wallets. Iran's crypto flows drop approximately 11% in the months following the Nobitex hack and stablecoin enforcement actions.","source":"","source_url":"https://www.bitget.com/news/detail/12560604932819"},{"date":"2026-01-01","event":"Elliptic publishes report documenting that Iran's Central Bank acquired at least $507 million in USDT routed primarily to Nobitex, using a UAE-based broker.","source":"","source_url":"https://www.elliptic.co/blog/iran-has-acquired-us-dollar-stablecoins-worth-at-least-half-a-billion-dollars"},{"date":"2026-04-24","event":"Tether freezes $344 million in USDT across two Tron-based addresses linked to Iran, in connection with U.S. Treasury 'Economic Fury' enforcement actions.","source":"","source_url":"https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2026/04/24/tether-s-usd344-million-usdt-freeze-linked-to-u-s-economic-fury-against-iran-regime"},{"date":"2026-04-29","event":"Al Jazeera reports on escalating US-Iran crypto enforcement conflict, describing an ongoing 'cat-and-mouse game' over sanctions with Nobitex at the center.","source":"","source_url":"https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/4/29/how-us-and-iran-are-playing-a-crypto-cat-and-mouse-game-over-sanctions"},{"date":"2026-05-01","event":"OFAC clarifies that Iranian digital asset exchanges are considered blocked financial institutions under existing US sanctions law regardless of whether they appear on the SDN list by name.","source":"","source_url":"https://cointelegraph.com/features/the-nobitex-dilemma-how-irans-biggest-crypto-exchange-stays-off-the-ofac-blacklist"},{"date":"2026-05-15","event":"Tether faces court dispute over the $344 million Iran-linked USDT freeze, with parties seeking to redirect frozen assets to sanctions victims.","source":"","source_url":"https://www.thecoinrepublic.com/2026/05/15/tether-faces-court-dispute-over-344m-iran-linked-usdt-freeze/"},{"date":"2026-05-18","event":"Chainalysis and Reuters publish joint findings documenting IRGC and Nobitex moving billions through Tron and BNB Chain, raising renewed sanctions concerns.","source":"","source_url":"https://coinalertnews.com/news/2026/05/18/iran-irgc-nobitex-tron-bnb"}]},"v":1}